What is ChatGPT?

ChatGPT is a chatbot powered by artificial intelligence (AI). “GPT” stands for generative pre-trained transformer, an open-source machine learning model. The chatbot mimics human writing and answers queries using information gathered from the web. ChatGPT is currently the most popular AI chatbot in the U.S. 

How is it used?

ChatGPT is used for a variety of tasks, including the creation of term papers, song lyrics, blog posts, PR releases, poems, and presentations. It can also conduct research, analyze data, generate images, write computer code, and have conversations with users.

ChatGPT is designed for dialogue between the user and the chatbot. The user can make requests for the chatbot to fulfill or ask the chatbot to answer questions. The chatbot keeps a record of conversations, and users can correct the chatbot’s responses or “thumbs down” answers that are inappropriate or inaccurate.

What are its limitations?

ChatGPT’s website states that it has limitations: “ChatGPT sometimes writes plausible-sounding but incorrect or nonsensical answers.” It can also produce biased or harmful content, and it does not have a deep knowledge base of current events.

Should I be concerned?

Generative AI platforms like ChatGPT “learn” from sets of data. Some of these sets are gathered from the internet and often include visual art or books. Chatbots can then generate content in the style of the original artists and writers. This has raised ethical concerns from creative professionals, who say ChatGPT and other generative AI platforms trained using their work without permission are infringing on copyrights.

Should I be concerned?

Experts are concerned that ChatGPT can be used to quickly generate and spread biased, deceptive, or false information. While the chatbot is trained to decline requests the creators have deemed “inappropriate,” users have found workarounds.

Should I be concerned?

Many educators have warned about the pervasive use of ChatGPT in academic settings, including for cheating. Students who heavily rely on the site to conduct research or complete writing assignments may learn less and produce research with incorrect information. 

What else should I know? 

As ChatGPT has become more advanced, some people have used it for services normally provided by professionals, such as mental health therapy or medical or legal advice. Open AI warns that ChatGPT should not be relied upon for vital information. Also, while ChatGPT and other chatbots may seem to possess human reasoning, they cannot actually “think.”

What else should I know?

When used thoughtfully, ChatGPT can help people become more productive in their educational, professional, and everyday tasks. It can help revise documents, generate ideas, provide a starting point for research, and explain difficult concepts.

Be a conscious consumer. Understand the purposes and uses of AI.

Sources: 

Associated Press: “Learning to lie: AI tools adept at creating disinformation,” http://bit.ly/3X6495S

ChatGPT: chatgpt.com 

Forbes: “Is generative AI stealing from artists?” https://tinyurl.com/vkbd92d9

NewsGuard: “The next great misinformation superspreader,” http://bit.ly/3HsxtOc

New York Magazine, “Everyone is cheating their way through college,” https://bit.ly/4jUN2zs

NPR: “A college student created an app that can tell whether AI wrote an essay,” http://bit.ly/3YqGNJk

The Washington Post: “Is ChatGPT an eloquent robot or a misinformation machine?” http://bit.ly/3RAiBlu